Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleOwen ScottFriday 10 July 2026 20:32 BSTHe was given platelets to manage the condition, but, by his sixth day in hospital, the facility had run out of antivenom (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Chris Howarth was bitten twice by a rattlesnake on while checking a waterline at his parents' home in Oroville, Northern California, earlier this summer, with one bite reaching a vein.Upon arrival at Oroville Hospital, Howarth experienced a numb tongue, swollen lymph nodes, and difficulty breathing, indicating the venom had entered his bloodstream.During his treatment, Howarth developed disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), a condition causing excessive blood clotting, and Oroville Hospital eventually ran out of antivenom after administering 36 doses.He was airlifted to Stanford Medical Center, where he received an additional 18 doses of antivenom, along with transfusions of cryo, platelets, and plasma, and underwent CT scans.After a 12-day hospitalization, Howarth is now recovering at home but faces an unknown period of inability to work, highlighting the severity of rattlesnake bites, which are the most venomous domestic snake bites in the U.S.In fullMan given 54 doses of antivenom to survive rattlesnake bite in CaliforniaMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in